


the taste of a sweeter life

by taeyomi (buttercream)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Hate to Love, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Smoking, blink and you'll miss it hurt comfort really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-09-23 17:27:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17084576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttercream/pseuds/taeyomi
Summary: Jung Jaehyun is young, talented, and handsome. He spent a whole year under Luca Alfonsi's tutelage before working here, in Doyoung's kitchen. Any Chef would be lucky to have someone like him.Except that Jung Jaehyun is obviously trying to steal Doyoung's job, and he'll be damned if anyone even thinks about running his kitchen.





	the taste of a sweeter life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamsofthedragonsfire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsofthedragonsfire/gifts).



> Dear jaemint,
> 
> I chose soulmates au, but also tried to squeeze some hurt/comfort into this fic because it looks like you really love it. I know this could have turned out way better, I kinda ran with things a bit and never checked for grammar (I'm so sorry T_T), but I really hope you'll be a tiny bit happier after reading this. I wish you and your family+friends an awesome holiday season, and that 2019 is filled with joy (and NCT, of course). Stay warm!
> 
> Love,  
> Your Secret Santa /wink wonk
> 
> P.S.: I'm not a chef. Everything I know about running a kitchen comes from Chef's Table, which has been my faithful companion throughout writing this fic. Also, some (many) elements are from the movie 'No Reservations'.

Junmyeon brings Jaehyun into the kitchen by the hand, one of those smiles that make his face go wrinkly on. At first, Doyoung pegs Jaehyun for another cook. It’s been a few weeks since Solji quit, they’re one staff member short. So naturally, he assumes that the boy (not older than twenty, he’s positive) being dragged in by their boss is her replacement.

“Everyone, listen up!” Junmyeon calls out. He appears to be in a good mood, arm resting proudly around Jaehyun’s shoulders. “This is Jaehyun. He’s going to work with us from now on. Jaehyun just came back from a lovely time in Venice. Please treat him well.”

Jaehyun is a polite guy. His hair is a bit messy, his clothes are wrinkled, and he smells of cigarette smoke but polite nonetheless. He introduces himself properly to each and every single cook, makes sure to charm Seulgi, and bows politely to Doyoung.

“It’s an honor to meet you, chef,” There’s a glint of honesty in Jaehyun’s eyes when he talks to Doyoung. “Your sausage soup with tortellini might be the reason I decided to study Italian cuisine.”

Doyoung is beyond flattered. It’s the first time someone comes in and declares they admire and want to learn from him. Doyoung has just taken over the Trattoria. It was a tough grind, it took a while to convince Junmyeon he was ready to take control of the kitchen after Mr. Choi’s retirement. Doyoung doesn’t take his hesitation to heart; the Trattoria is Junmyeon’s first business, almost like a child to him. In many ways, Junmyeon was used to seeing _Doyoung_ as a child.

Overall, here is Jung Jaehyun, sparkly eyed and strong-willed looking at Doyoung as if he holds the master key to the universe. 

“Thanks,” Doyoung answers and wipes his hands on his apron. “Where did you learn how to cook, Jaehyun?”

“Oh, my aunt. I mean, when I was younger she used to request my help in the kitchen and I learned to love it.” Jaehyun says. When Doyoung doesn’t reply, the smile vanishes from his face. “Oh. You mean… Where did I study? Oh, I’m sorry. I worked with Luca Alfonsi. I’m not sure you know him, he’s not a Michelin star chef, he--”

“I know him,” Doyoung says. 

Luca Alfonsi has had both great and terrible pieces written on his work, but no one can deny that there’s a style to his way of preparing food. Two years ago Doyoung took a trip around Southern Europe and got to know his Osteria. It’s impressive that Jaehyun managed to work for him; Alfonsi is known to be quite eccentric and short-tempered.

“Were you there long?” Doyoung inquires.

“A year?” Jaehyun says. “It’s not really possible to stay there much longer than that.”

Indeed. Jaehyun handled himself pretty well if he could work for that man a whole year.

“I’m sure you learned a lot,” Doyoung comments, and Jaehyun’s smile returns, although a little more subdued.

 

Later, in private, Junmyeon tells Doyoung that Jaehyun is to learn from him and take over Seulgi’s spot once she moves away. The news takes him slightly aback. Doyoung was expecting to have freedom to choose Seulgi’s replacement -- not that he’d ever find a sous-chef that could ever fit in her shoes. The subject of Seulgi’s departure is already too sensitive for Doyoung, now he’ll have to add Jaehyun to that equation.

Not that he’s not happy for her, he’s thrilled actually. More than once, Seulgi made clear that she wouldn’t hesitate to stay if Doyoung said the word, but he just… Couldn’t. Seulgi is moving to France with her soulmate as soon as they get married. It’s always been her dream and Doyoung couldn’t possibly take that away from her. 

 

Over the course of a really short week, Doyoung comes to learn important things about Jung Jaehyun. The first of which is that he’s talented. The boy is capable of coming up with delicious dishes and rather unique designs in a matter of hours and pulls it all with a full _mise en place_ without compromising his counter space or getting it too dirty. A genius.

The second thing is that Junmyeon is obviously trying to substitute Doyoung. With Jaehyun.

It wouldn’t be too sad if Doyoung hadn’t just taken over the kitchen. But he _has_ just taken over the kitchen and is right in the middle of getting everything to his own standards. It hasn’t been easy, but Seulgi was a lot of help. Except that Seulgi will be gone soon, and Doyoung will be stuck with prodigal son Jaehyun who’s clearly after his job.

He can tell by the way Jaehyun hovers around whenever Doyoung is cooking. He can tell by Junmyeon, who’s been spending a lot more time in the kitchen now that Jaehyun is here, all smiley and echoing rich laughter throughout the room. It’s so different from the way Junmyeon acts around Doyoung (which could be nicer, in his humble opinion). Junmyeon thinks that all of Jaehyun’s ideas are innovative, and is even considering the gourmet soft serve ice cream Jaehyun suggested the other day. Doyoung wasn’t impressed. This is an Italian place so the least Jaehyun could have done was suggest a gourmet _gelato_ for crying out loud.

“I don’t understand why you hate him so much,” Seulgi says one night when they’re closing up. Most of the cooks have headed home so it’s just the two of them assessing what menu they’ll serve the next day.

Trattoria 65 works just like a regular trattoria, with a few small differences. They change the menu every two or three days. No printed menus are offered for that very reason, and patrons have to hear what they’ve serving from the waitstaff. It’s not a fancy or famous restaurant, but the fact that it’s located in the financial district means that people with money come here quite often. 

“He’s cocky and stinks of cigarette smoke,” Doyoung says, eyes on the menu book they keep. “Should we go for the pasta carbonara instead of the Margherita pizza? They’re both crowd pleasers, we only need one.”

“Pizza, we did carbonara last week,” Seulgi answers quickly. “Cocky? Jaehyun is the sweetest guy ever.”

“He’s a kid.”

“He’s actually twenty-four years old, did you know that?”

No, Doyoung didn’t know. Mildly surprising, but it’s not like he cares. Flipping a page on the menu book, Doyoung sighs.

“Are you being petty right now?” Seulgi inquires, and Doyoung looks up at her.

“No, I’m not being petty. I just don’t see what’s so awesome about this guy.” He says honestly. “Sure, he can cook. So does everyone in this kitchen staff, we can all cook. That’s what we do around here. We cook.”

Seulgi is not convinced. They’ve been working together for years, she’s learned to read all of Doyoung’s subtle cues. And even before that, he was never able to deceive Seulgi. She’s too cunning.

She squints at him, “So. You’re being petty.” Doyoung rolls his eyes and goes back to the book. Seulgi continues, “You are! Look, Jaehyun personally told you he chose us because he wanted to learn from you.”

“Yeah, about that, don’t you think it’s suspicious? If there were other offers on his table, why did he come here? I’m young and I’ve got, what, two web reviews? None of them were that good, I’m no _teacher_.”

There’s that look on Seulgi’s face that indicates she’s not up for any bullshit. Still, she indulges Doyoung by asking, “What are you saying?”

Putting the book aside, Doyoung explains, “I’m saying he’s here for another reason. One that doesn’t involve any of this ‘mentorship’ crap. Come on. Jaehyun worked under Luca Alfonsi, do you really think he would settle for anything less than that? We know Luca is crazy, but at least he’s famous.”

“You realize you’re looking down on yourself?” 

He has, in fact, realized that. But it’s the truth. Doyoung is not one to sugarcoat issues, and the one at hand is too pressing to be looked over. Besides, he still hasn’t gotten around to figuring out _when_ Jaehyun tried his sausage soup with tortellini since it hasn’t been on the menu for long and he, supposedly, was in Italy when it was implemented. Too freaking suspicious.

“Are you afraid Jaehyun is going to overthrow you?” Seulgi asks eventually.

Doyoung doesn’t see a reason to deny, “The possibility has crossed my mind, yes.”

With a snort, Seulgi pulls the book onto her lap and opens it. “So, Margherita tomorrow?” It’s a feeble attempt at burying the subject after she was the one who insisted on discussing it.

“So you don’t think it’s possible?” Doyoung asks. “Have you not seen how Junmyeon preens over Jaehyun? Like he’s a proud dad showcasing his golden child?”

“I can see he’s excited. Jaehyun has nice ideas, he’s fresh. Junmyeon wants him to replace _me_ , not you. And not even that scenario he’d be stealing anyone’s spot.”

Doyoung stares at her, personally offended at the flippant way she’s breaching the topic of her departure. “I don’t want to replace you with him.”

Seulgi’s eyes soften immediately, and her shoulders sag. “Do you want to replace me at all?”

No, he doesn’t. Seulgi was by his side during the whole transition process. She shared with him all those long nights going over recipes and trying them out, deciding what should go on the menu and what wouldn’t really appease the patrons. Seulgi was Doyoung’s sous-chef before he was even appointed executive, and he’s not entirely sure where the path without her leads.

“That’s not it,” he lies, because the alternative would be telling her he doesn’t want her to go, and that’s not an option.

“What is it, then?”

“I wanted to pick the new sous-chef.”

“You didn’t have to, a great one was handed to you on a platter!” Seulgi exclaims as if she’s telling him he won the lottery. “Saved you from a lot of work!”

“What part of _I wanted to pick the sous-chef_ you didn’t understand?” Doyoung levels her with a stare, and Seulgi rolls her eyes for the umpteenth time, unimpressed.

“What makes you think you wouldn’t have chosen Jaehyun?”

“I just know I wouldn’t have.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Doyoung stops, and considers. “Because he’s cocky!!!”

Seulgi groans loudly and slams the book closed, “I can’t deal with you anymore.” She places it on the counter and unties her apron, tossing it over the book before marching out of the kitchen.

Doyoung feels his ears tingle and irrational anger bubble in his stomach. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to deal with me for much longer!”

Shortly after Seulgi leaves, Doyoung regrets his words. Even though he knows they’ll both act like nothing happened tomorrow, he sends her an apology text. As per usual.

And just as usual, Seulgi leaves him on read.

 

\--

 

A whine comes from the computer where it sits on Doyoung’s kitchen counter, and he smiles.

“This is torture,” Jeno says, and a quick glance at the screen tells Doyoung that his baby brother is on the verge of tears. “You know I’ve been eating ramen every day, hyung, why would you _cook_ in front of me?”

“Technically I’m not cooking in front of you,” Doyoung says, stirring the shrimp on the frying pan. 

“I can still see you!”

“Would you rather I turned my camera off?”

Jeno groans once more, and Doyoung laughs, adding the pasta he reserved earlier to the frying pan. He makes sure the pasta is totally coated in butter and shrimp sauce before sprinkling some mixed herbs. 

“How are things going?” Doyoung asks. He turns off the burner once it’s all done, and pulls a plate from the cupboard. “How was the test this week?”

“Fine,” Jeno says. “That appointment with the TA helped me a lot, she gave me great tips. She’d make a better professor than Dr. Lee, to be honest.”

“That’s always the case, I’m afraid. Tenured professors are tired and sick of lecturing most times. All they care about is their research.” Doyoung brings his plate to the counter and sits. 

“Not always, I have great professors. Dr. Lee is just bad, I guess.” Jeno shrugs. “And how’s work? Did that new guy attempt to murder you yet?”

Doyoung regrets telling Jeno about Jaehyun. This is what he has to hear now, silly jokes about how Jaehyun is ready to kill Doyoung off right there in the kitchen in front of everyone. Jeno, it seems, doesn’t take Doyoung seriously.

“Quit being an ass,” Doyoung chides, shoving pasta into his mouth. He chews for a bit, then speaks around the food. “He’s not planning on murdering me. Just stealing my job.”

Jeno winces, “Ew, don’t eat and talk.” Doyoung opens his mouth wide and gives Jeno a good look at the chewed up food in his mouth. His brother shrieks, and Doyoung chuckles. “Gross.”

Doyoung swallows, and says, “That’s what you get for talking shit. Fucker.”

“But seriously, how’s it going with Jaehyun and all?”

Doyoung sighs, “He keeps asking me stuff. Culinary stuff, like he expects me to teach him everything I know.”

“But didn’t your boss tell you to do just that?” Jeno frowns.

“Yeah, but I won’t,” Doyoung says, huffing. Jeno heaves a tired sigh.

“Hyung. You can’t do that.”

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?” Doyoung will not sit around and take advice from young college kids. Jeno has absolutely no idea what’s going on, he can’t possibly know.

“I’m not--” Jeno gives him a panicked look, frantically waving his hands at the camera. “Hyung, I just don’t get why you’re so threatened by this guy. Didn’t you say he was my age or something?”

Doyoung averts his eyes, “I was mistaken.”

Jeno halts. “So. He’s not young?”

“No, he’s young. But not as young as I initially thought. Besides, it’s not important how old he is. Junmyeon likes Jaehyun, he’s been parading Jaehyun around as if he’s Christ resurrected or something.”

“That’s heresy.”

Doyoung ignores him, “That cocky, arrogant bastard.”

“Hyung. Aren’t you letting it get too far?” Jeno has this worried look on his face. “You still have to work with him.”

“I have to work with him, but I’m not required to like him.”

He’s glad when Jeno lets the subject die, rambling about the clueless roommate who can’t seem to realize Jeno’s got the biggest crush on him. 

 

\--

 

It’s Thursday, a busy day at Trattoria 65. It’s more of a business meeting and work lunches kind of day, so they prepare the menu accordingly.

Seulgi has grabbed hold of Jaehyun. She’s been teaching him stuff that Mr. Choi taught both of them, and it’s fine, Doyoung tells himself. It’s okay that Seulgi is doing what Doyoung didn’t want to, it’s fine that Jaehyun is easily obtaining knowledge of culinary secrets Doyoung and Seulgi alike took ages to coax from Old Man Choi. It’s fine. As long as Jaehyun is far from Doyoung’s workspace. He can feel Jaehyun’s curious eyes on him when he’s plating sometimes, but Seulgi is quick to pull him back. Jaehyun doesn’t try to come closer to where Doyoung is working. Until.

Until.

It’s around six, pretty much rush hour at the Trattoria, and the kitchen is at full power. Doyoung finishes up a mushroom risotto and moves to hand it to a waiter. He’s not sure if it’s him, or if Jaehyun is at fault. Doyoung hadn’t even acknowledged Jaehyun’s presence behind him, probably watching him plate the fucking food. They’re standing too close, and Doyoung clashes against Jaehyun when he turns, misstepping and essentially dropping the plate to the floor. 

Along with the food, Doyoung also loses grip of his balance. His body sways backward, and Doyoung just knows he’s going to fall.

Except he doesn’t. And _that_ is on Jaehyun. With both hands tight around Doyoung’s arms, Jaehyun prevents his fall. Doyoung gawks at him. 

It’s silent, like all actions being performed in the kitchen just came to a stop the moment the plate Doyoung was holding crashed on the floor. And then, something strange happens.

Doyoung’s vision starts to whiten, and he feels dizzy, weak.

Suddenly, he’s not at the Trattoria anymore. 

He is in an apartment complex he’s never been to before, and a group of children runs right through him as if Doyoung were invisible as a ghost. The scene shifts, like he’s watching a movie, and he’s no longer in the apartment complex. Now, Doyoung finds himself at the beach. There’s a picnic happening, and a couple of teenagers laugh while sitting together in a circle. Doyoung thinks one of them is quite familiar, but there’s another change in the scenery before he has the chance to figure out who that is. Doyoung is in a kitchen, a domestic one, and there’s a tall woman instructing that same teen Doyoung saw at the beach on how to properly stir something in a big pan. It shifts again, and now Doyoung is in a lecture hall, university perhaps. He knows who to look for now, eyes roaming over the students until he finds the boy. He looks older, broader shoulders and it’s so much easier for Doyoung to recognize him. The next time the scene changes, Doyoung is in a professional kitchen. Next to him is Luca Alfonsi, and the boy -- Jaehyun -- is intently watching what the chef is doing. It shifts with a swish, and the next thing Doyoung sees is Jaehyun making out with someone (a girl, apparently). They look like they’re having fun, happy, youthful. Another swish, and now Jaehyun is watching _Doyoung_ , a glint of admiration in his eyes as he observes Doyoung working. Swish, and now it’s _Doyoung_ that Jaehyun is kissing, passionate and desperate, both of them rushing to get rid of their clothes. Swish and they’re arguing. Swish and they’re at the movies, crying over something that’s happening on the big screen. Swish and they’re in an airport boarding a plane. Swish and they look much older, fondly petting a puppy on the ground. Swish again, and it's so fast that Doyoung can barely understand what’s going on. Swish one more time. Then swish, and blackout.

 

When he wakes up, Doyoung is at the office -- the office that’s adjacent to the kitchen and that he uses to keep the menu books and other important documents. He’s sitting on a chair, and there are two people in front of him. It takes him a couple of beats to recognize Seulgi and Jungwoo, one of the cooks. Seulgi has a tight grip on Doyoung’s shoulder as if she’s afraid he’ll fall to the ground.

“Quick, fetch him some water,” Seulgi orders, and Jungwoo dashes out of the office. “Doyoung? Can you hear me?”

It’s like his head weighs a ton, and Doyoung winces, hands coming up to massage his temples. He’s got the feeling that something important happened, but can’t quite recall what. 

“Seulgi,” Doyoung blinks. “What happened?”

Seulgi hesitates, and she-- does she look apprehensive? “Um. You. You…”

“What?” Something doesn’t sit well in Doyoung’s stomach, and he’s starting to get worried.

Jungwoo runs back inside, handing Doyoung a glass of water. 

“Drink, drink,” Seulgi coaxes. Doyoung drinks it, gulps it all down, not having realized how thirsty he was.

Another cook, Kun, walks in looking rather spooked. He stares owlishly at Doyoung, then clears his throat. “Uh. Junmyeon wants to know if he’s is coming to the ER.”

The ER? Why is he com-- 

All of a sudden it hits him. Images from moments ago flash in his head and he _knows_. Doyoung bumped into Jaehyun, and Jaehyun held him, stopped him from falling. And then… There were memories. Except they were not Doyoung’s memories, they were… Jaehyun’s.

Jaehyun’s past, his present, and what will come to be. His future. Doyoung was there; in Jaehyun’s future. Doyoung was there because he was able to see those things. Because that’s what The First Touch does, you can _see everything_.

Doyoung feels out of breath. He gasps for air, hands coming to rest on his chest, his throat, and the move he makes allows him to spot something on his wrist; a smudge.

Engraved in black on his skin is:

**03/11/2018  
18:27:38**

It’s funny that the first thing that crosses Doyoung’s mind is that he hadn’t touched Jaehyun before that moment. They’ve been working together for nearly a month and hadn’t touched. Not even a brief grazing of hands. Credit goes to Doyoung’s effort to keep Jaehyun far, keep him from seeing things Doyoung didn’t want him to see, keep him from stealing Doyoung’s job. 

Silly. It sounds silly now, even inside his own head. 

It’s only when Seulgi snaps her fingers that Doyoung realizes they’re talking to him. He didn’t hear anything. Maybe his thoughts are still a bit foggy.

He lifts his eyes, takes her worried expression in, looks at Jungwoo and Kun. “What? Sorry.”

“Honey,” Seulgi says carefully, crouching in front of Doyoung. “You gotta go to the ER.”

“Why?” Doyoung asks, blinking at them. “I feel fine.”

Seulgi shakes her head, “You collapsed. You’re not supposed to faint at--” she stops, looks at Doyoung as if rearranging her thoughts. “Doyoung, do you know what happened out there?”

The question is obviously a rhetorical one. 

“Yes,” Doyoung replies, eyes falling to the writings on his wrist. It has his stomach twisting uncomfortably, a shiver running down his spine. “It’s him.”

Seulgi chuckles and says, “Yeah, it’s him. I know you’re probably in shock, but you need to get checked. The First Touch is not supposed to make you pass out, and both of you did.”

 _Both of you_. Both. Doyoung and Jaehyun. 

“Where is he?” Doyoung asks, voice coming out low, a mere whisper.

“Outside,” Seulgi says, pulling the glass from Doyoung’s hands and pushing it into Kun’s. “Waiting for you so Junmyeon can drive you to the ER.”

Ah, yes, the ER. Doyoung can’t see why that’s necessary, but he’s also feeling fuzzy, like he’s here but not quite. He nods, stands up. Seulgi crowds around him like Doyoung is at risk of falling apart any minute. They walk outside, into the kitchen. It’s oddly silent, only the remaining cook and the dishwasher working. Both of them look at Doyoung when he comes out but they never hold his gaze, quickly looking away. He overhears Seulgi order both Jungwoo and Kun to go back to work and carries Doyoung out of the kitchen, towards Junmyeon’s office.

Jaehyun is in there when they come in, sitting on Junmyeon’s couch. He springs up the moment Doyoung steps inside. He looks anxious, eyes wide as saucers and hands visibly shaky. There are black numbers scribbled on his wrist, staining his pale skin. Doyoung doesn’t have to inspect them up close to know the same thing is written on his own wrist. It’s their Epoch.

“Are you okay?” Jaehyun asks; his lower lip trembles slightly.

Curiously, Doyoung appears to be the stable one. Probably because he never held his breath while waiting for a soulmate to show up. Honestly, Doyoung would keep living his life totally unbothered if it never happened. Maybe he’s deranged, maybe he should be freaking out like Jaehyun.

Nodding, he wriggles his arm free from Seulgi’s hold. “Fine,” Doyoung says.

Jaehyun looks at him as if he’s the only one standing in the room. Like Seulgi and Junmyeon are completely invisible. The intensity of his eyes makes Doyoung’s skin prickle.

“You,” Jaehyun mumbles, lifting his wrist. “You’re my soulmate.” There’s disbelief in his tone, and Doyoung wonders if, in Jaehyun’s conception, saying it out loud will help make it more real.

“That seems to be the case, yes,” Doyoung says.

Jaehyun exhales and runs both hands through his hair. Doyoung shoots Seulgi a worried glance.

“Jaehyun, honey, do you need to sit down?” Seulgi asks.

Before Jaehyun can answer, Junmyeon says, “Why don’t we give them some time to talk?” Nope, that doesn’t sound like a good idea. Doyoung is ready to protest, but Junmyeon is not done. “When you’re ready, I’ll drive you to the ER.”

“No, Junmyeon,” Doyoung is saying, but Junmyeon and Seulgi are out within a second. 

He’s alone with Jaehyun.

There’s a heavy, unknown aura surrounding them, a certain quality to the air that makes Doyoung feel claustrophobic. It might have something to do with the way Jaehyun is watching him. Like Doyoung is a creature out a storybook, mythical or magical. There’s wetness clinging to his lashes, and his cheeks are a bit rosy. His hair is messier than usual and he seems to be having a hard time with his oxygen intake. 

Doyoung wants to tell him to sit down, maybe drink some water because he doesn’t look so good. At the same time, there’s a small, timid voice in his head that urges him to reach out, turn Jaehyun’s wrist around, runs his thumbs over the numbers, just _feel_ him. Because there’s too much distance between them, and that’s not ideal. It’s not ideal because Doyoung’s soulmate is standing right there, just a few steps away from him, and it wouldn’t be so hard to close that distance, get acquainted with the way Jaehyun feels under his palms.

It’s all nonsense. This… This is Jung Jaehyun. He didn’t stop being Jung Jaehyun because he, in the most surprising turn of events Doyoung’s life has ever presented him with, happens to be Doyoung’s soulmate. This is the guy who’s trying to make himself visible in an environment in which he’s unwelcome. He could-- 

“This is crazy,” Jaehyun says, and it’s more of a mumble than full blown words.

Doyoung agrees it’s crazy.

Jaehyun -- Doyoung’s freaking _soulmate_ \-- lets out a humorless chuckle and shakes his head. “You know… A couple of years back I developed this habit of touching everyone upon meeting them. No matter who they were, I’d just give them a handshake.” Jaehyun gives Doyoung a look like he expects Doyoung to react a certain way. “I shook everyone’s hands in this restaurant the day I arrived. I knew Seulgi had a soulmate because I could see the Epoch on her wrist, but I shook hers too. Everyone.

“Everyone except you.”

There’s a smile on Jaehyun’s face, not a happy or even crazy smile. More of a mix between relief and incredulity. The flush is slowly fading from his face.

“I could tell you didn’t like me,” Jaehyun continues, and his words make Doyoung feel slightly guilty. “I knew it wasn’t a personality trait because everyone told me how pleasant you were. It was pretty clear you were just tolerating me, so I… Refrained from touching you. Didn’t shake your hand.” Jaehyun lets out another chuckle, this time accompanied by hands ruffling his own hair. 

“Isn’t it crazy?” Jaehyun asks him, takes a step forward. “That the one hand I didn’t shake…” He trails off and halts. “I really, _really_ wanted to meet my soulmate. You. I wanted to meet you. What are the odds that it’s someone who hates me?”

Was Doyoung that clear with the way he acted around Jaehyun? Was it that obvious that even Jaehyun himself would notice? He thought he was being cordial at least.

Now, standing in front of him knowing this is his _soulmate_ (goddamnit), Doyoung feels bad. He feels like a fucking asshole. Is it a side effect of The First Touch? No, it can’t be. Doyoung’s never read about it imposing immediate feelings into people, that’s not how it happens. You find your soulmate and you fall in love with them naturally. He’s pretty sure he’s not in love with Jung Jaehyun.

Will he, though? Fall in love with this guy? Doyoung saw himself in Jaehyun’s future. What did Jaehyun see in Doyoung’s future? He’s read about soulmates seeing different things during The First Touch. Fate can lead you astray when your path is completely different from your soulmate’s. When you’re not on the same page about important things such as life and the like, The First Touch will show you. It will give the pair two possibilities, two different roads. Doyoung wonders if there are two possible futures for them, or if what he saw was the exact same thing Jaehyun saw.

Doyoung saw the two of them. He saw them together now, and he saw them in the future. Going places, doing things. Growing old together.

It puts things on a new level, a completely different perspective. It forces him to look at Jaehyun and _wonder_.

“It was never a thing for me,” Doyoung says in lieu of anything else because honestly, he doesn’t know what else to say.

“What?” Jaehyun frowns.

“Soulmate searching.” Doyoung scratches his eyebrow and feels his forehead a tad damp. “I was never into that.”

It takes a while for Jaehyun to understand what he means. When it dawns on him, it becomes clear by the way his whole face changes. 

“I’m still not into that,” Doyoung says, eyes fixed on Jaehyun’s.

Humming, Jaehyun nods. He licks his lips (which look dry, by the way), and sighs. He never replies to Doyoung’s announcement, only blinks and shoots a look at the door. “Should we let them know we’re ready?”

There’s finality in his words; and understanding. Jaehyun knows what Doyoung is trying to say, and he’s not going to argue against it.

 

At the ER, the doctor who sees to them doesn’t seem alarmed. He informs them that albeit rare, couples will sometimes have such a reaction to The First Touch. Junmyeon, who made sure to stick around during the entire thing, sighs in relief and fusses around Jaehyun. It has a familiar feel to it like he’s tending to his little brother. Doyoung would probably act the saw way with Jeno. Their behavior makes Doyoung question the true nature of their relationship. If Junmyeon praising and encouraging Jaehyun’s work and abilities mean something other than the hypothesis of Doyoung’s replacement.

Junmyeon offers to drive Doyoung home, but he refuses, calling an Uber instead. Moments before he leaves, Jaehyun looks at Doyoung like he wants to say something, but opts out of it.

 

\--

 

“HE’S WHAT?”

Doyoung rubs a hand over his face. It’s early, he’s hungry but unwilling to cook. There’s not much he feels like doing, honestly, so he just laid in bed and called Jeno.

“He’s my soulmate,” Doyoung angles the phone in a way that will allow Jeno to see the numbers on his wrist when he holds his hand in the air. “Jaehyun. The guy I was boycotting at work. He’s my soulmate.”

Jeno is silent, mouth ajar, eyes bulging. 

“I know,” Doyoung says.

“Shit,” is what Jeno manages to say. “I didn’t see that coming. How did it take you one month to figure it out?”

“Um. I was boycotting him?”

Jeno rolls his eyes, “Yeah, but you were coworkers? And I’ve been there, I know the kitchen is pretty tiny.”

“I intimidated the fuck out of him, Jeno, the guy didn’t want to touch me,” Doyoung explains, and again there’s that wave of guilt which is not all rational because Jaehyun did pose some threat to Doyoung’s status at the Trattoria. He was just… Protecting something precious.

His answer seems to appease Jeno, who ends up asking, “And how do you feel? About Jaehyun being your soulmate.”

Doyoung puffs out his cheeks and releases the air. “I feel… Weird. Like something changed.”

“Something _did_ change, hyung, you have a soulmate now.”

Doyoung’s stomach twists, he ignores it. “I mean in the way I see Jaehyun.”

“Really, now?”

Doyoung thinks about standing before Jaehyun in Junmyeon’s office, feeling like he should touch him, step closer. 

“Maybe… Maybe it’s involuntary. I know what a soulmate is, how one should feel about their soulmate. Even though I never worried much about it, Jaehyun is still that person.” Doyoung scratches the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t catch automatic feelings or anything, it’s just… Something changed in my head. The configuration of my relationship with him, I guess. Like I owe him something, the benefit of the doubt at least.”

“So you don’t think he’s trying to ruin your life anymore?”

Junmyeon worrying about Jaehyun as if they’re family, telling everyone about Jaehyun’s accomplishments like he’s proud of his little brother. It’s normal for people to want their businesses to stay in the family, isn’t it? So it wouldn’t surprise many people if Junmyeon eventually replaced Doyoung with his younger brother. That is if Jaehyun and Junmyeon are indeed related. Somehow.

“I think… There are some nuances I hadn’t considered before,” he says.

“Wow,” Jeno says, sounding genuinely surprised. “That’s really good to hear, hyung.”

Yes. Good. 

Good.

 

At the Trattoria, Doyoung can tell that the staff is trying their best not to let an unpleasant atmosphere settle, and he appreciates it. 

Junmyeon brings Doyoung into his office, asks how he’s feeling. Doyoung, in all honesty, tells him he’s fine. Because he is. After some consideration, he decided that it’s not worth wasting his time thinking about it. Yes, Jaehyun is his soulmate. Yes, Doyoung’s boss _might_ be thinking about giving his job to Jaehyun, who also _might_ be something like a little brother to him.

However, Doyoung is also young and quite good at what he does. The Trattoria is where he learned most of what he knows, the first establishment that believed in his potential. It's far from the last place Doyoung will ever work for. If Junmyeon wants Jaehyun as executive chef, then so be it. 

Sometimes, as he’s plating or preparing some sauce the skin of his neck will tingle, and Doyoung will know Jaehyun is staring at him. They don’t exchange words the whole day. Doyoung thinks Jaehyun is trying to give him space, which is great, but… It’s also unsettling.

As the silent agreement states, Seulgi proceeds to tend to Jaehyun, showing him how much cheese goes in their Alfredo sauce, watching as Jaehyun kneads the pasta dough. Occasionally, Jaehyun is the one teaching Seulgi, telling her a thing or two he learned in Venice, how there was this one osteria he used to go that put pepper and basil in their polenta. Doyoung pretends like he isn’t, but he’s listening. 

When the Trattoria closes, Doyoung doesn’t linger. He changes and leaves through the back door.

“Hey, Chef.”

Doyoung turns around and is met with Jaehyun, leaning back against the brick wall, a foot propped up. He’s still wearing his apron, although the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up. Jaehyun has both hands around his mouth, one holding a lighter and the other blocking the wind as he tries to light the cigarette trapped between his lips. On his wrist, Doyoung can see their Epoch.

“You-- You smoke?” He asks, unable to keep the disgust from his tone. It’s not like he didn’t know, really, Jaehyun is always accompanied by the distinct stench of tobacco.

Jaehyun makes a sound, something between a chuckle and a snort. He succeeds in lighting the cigarette, so the lighter goes in his apron pocket. “Does it bother you?”

There’s something different in the way he looks at Doyoung, a hint of defiance in Jaehyun’s face. Doyoung can see none of that reverence and adoration in his eyes. Almost as if… The spell has been broken? Which is weird, because you’re supposed to fall _in_ love with your soulmate, not _out_ of it. 

Feeling a little thrown off, Doyoung clears his throat. Says, “No. The lungs are yours, you can destroy them however you want.” 

Jaehyun hums, eyes narrowing. He takes a drag, holds the smoke in, then pulls the cigarette out of his mouth so he can blow out. It’s all so different. At this moment, he doesn’t even _look_ like the same person who said to love Doyoung’s sausage soup.

“Can I ask you something?” Doyoung asks, because why not? When Jaehyun nods, he continues, “What’s your relationship with Junmyeon?”

Jaehyun never questions his curiosity. He just smokes, and replies, “We grew up together. Sort of. His actual younger brother is my childhood best friend. Junmyeon was always driving us around, kicking our bullies’ asses. Are you asking because of how he acted at the ER?”

“That.” Doyoung folds his arms, lifts his chin. “And also the way he talks about you like you’re Christ reincarnate.”

Understanding colors Jaehyun’s face, and he smiles at Doyoung. “I knew it. You feel threatened, don’t you?”

Doyoung stands up straighter, ignoring the way his stomach flips at Jaehyun’s words, the shimmer in his eyes. “I- I don’t--”

“You think I want to be executive chef.” Jaehyun is now watching Doyoung with interest, head tilting as he smokes that godforsaken cigarette. Oh God Doyoung hates the smell. “That’s why you hate me, isn’t it?”

“No,” Doyoung is quick to lie. He knows he’s blushing because his cheeks tingle, and it’s mortifying. Doyoung wants the ground to swallow him whole.

Jaehyun laughs. He has the audacity to laugh. It’s loud, and hearty like he finds the entire thing genuinely funny. Doyoung takes offense. “Of course! Junmyeon brings this guy around, waxes poetic about him while you’ve _just_ been appointed head chef, so your position is not stable, and you're _concerned_. Of course you are!”

Jaehyun laughs as if he’s exhaling, letting out all the air stored in his lungs. Like he’s… Relieved? Doyoung frowns, and Jaehyun smiles.

“Got me worried for a moment. I thought you just didn’t like me,” he says, and runs a hand (the same hand holding his cigarette), through his hair. Doyoung’s never really paid Jaehyun’s hair much attention, but it looks good right now, windswept and disheveled. Like the rest of him. “You know... I’ve always felt this pull towards you. There was this event in university. Your class was showcasing their creations. Pretty sure you don’t remember, but I came over to your stand. I ate a bunch of nice food, but yours was my favorite.”

What?

University? What.

“The sausage soup with tortellini,” Jaehyun continues. “It wasn’t a regular thing, you used duck sausage and the broth had this cinnamon, chili taste. It was… Mind-blowing.”

So… Did they go to the same university? _That_ ’s where Jaehyun tasted Doyoung’s food?

“I never forgot your name.” There’s that reverence again, etched in the way Jaehyun says, “Kim Doyoung. Imagine my surprise when Junmyeon mentioned the talented kid Mr. Choi had brought in as his apprentice. He wanted me to come to the Trattoria, you know.” Jaehyun drags, holds, blows the smoke out. “I had other plans, wanted to go abroad. But I told him, ‘I’ll come work for you after I return’.

“There were many offers. This guy I met in Italy tried to recruit me to a restaurant in Tokyo. A cook that worked for Luca got a spot in a fancy place in Los Angeles, told me they had another opening and I’d fit there like a glove.” Jaehyun smiles; flicks the end of his cigarette. “I wanted to come here because that’s where _you_ were. At that time it made sense to think I wanted to work with you because your food gave me inspiration. Because I liked your style. Now, knowing who you are, I can’t help but question my reasons.”

They hold each other’s gaze, the smoke from Jaehyun’s cigarette wafting all around them, the smell certainly clinging to Doyoung’s clothes. Jaehyun takes a step closer. Doyoung feels rooted to the ground like he wouldn’t be able to move even if he wanted.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Doyoung asks, clenching his jaw in a futile attempt to show Jaehyun he doesn’t care for his life story.

“I want you to know,” another step closer. “That I didn’t come here to steal your job. I came because I admire you as a cook. And because something pulled me to you, and I thought it was your food, but I’m not sure anymore.”

They’re the same height, Doyoung notices. He might be a centimeter or two taller than Jaehyun, but it’s almost imperceptible. 

“I saw myself in your future,” Jaehyun says, and Doyoung freezes. “Did… Did you see yourself in mine?”

Doyoung blinks and considers lying. The force of Jaehyun’s eyes is too much, though, so he averts his gaze, focuses on a piece of gum that’s stuck on the ground.

Jaehyun interprets his reaction as a positive answer. Says, “I’m gonna give you some space.” Doyoung looks up and surprises himself by finding Jaehyun even closer than before. “Not gonna push. Because there’s only one path ahead of us, and we’re supposed to go down together. So I’ll be here when you decide you’re ready to go.” He lets the cigarette fall to his feet and steps on it. Slowly, Jaehyun backs away, eyes never leaving Doyoung’s. “See you tomorrow, chef.”

He goes inside, and Doyoung stands there staring at the closed metal door. His heart pounds in his chest in a way that makes him feel like it’s ready to jump out. 

 

\--

 

Dimples. He’s got dimples. You can see them when he smiles, one on each side of his face. Dimples.

He was listening to something Sooyoung -- one of the waitresses -- was saying, fork absently playing with the food on his plate, but then his eyes meet Doyoung’s all of a sudden, and Doyoung startles, quickly looking away.

The staff is sitting for lunch today. Sometimes, Junmyeon promotes these lunches so everyone can try their new dishes. It gives the waitstaff ground to speak about the food to patrons. 

Jaehyun got in a few minutes later. He reeked of cigarette smoke and his hair was slightly shorter. Doyoung watched him find a seat and accept the plate Seulgi offered him. His cheeks were still pink from the cold outside, giving him a young look. Doyoung wasn’t _ogling_ him. He was just… Well, Jaehyun looked different. His hair, that is. He probably had a trim.

He’s being truthful to his words. Jaehyun promised he’d give Doyoung space, and that’s what he’s doing. He doesn’t engage in useless conversation, doesn’t stand too close, and doesn’t touch. They interact about work and such, but that’s pretty much it. Jaehyun’s been nothing but respectful.

“I like this polenta,” Junmyeon says, pointing his fork at the polenta bowl on the table. “Goes really well with the shrimp.”

“That’s Jaehyun’s recipe,” Seulgi says. “It’s just a bit different from ours, but it brings a new flavor.”

Junmyeon’s eyes glint with pride. “Of course it does.”

Seulgi shoots Doyoung a warning look as if to hold him back. Doyoung sighs and takes a bite of his food. She approached him a few days ago to ask if they could try Jaehyun’s polenta recipe, and Doyoung had no reason to deny. It was hard for Seulgi to hide her awe.

So Junmyeon likes Jaehyun’s polenta. Unsurprising. Polenta is a Venetian tradition and Jaehyun spent time in Venice precisely. The least he could do was learn how to prepare a freaking polenta.

Eventually, Doyoung’s eyes find Jaehyun again entirely on their own. It’s hard not to look at him, Doyoung supposes. He’s got all _that_ going on. With his face. And his hair. And the dimples. 

The dimples.

The annoying part is that Jaehyun is always aware of Doyoung’s eyes on him. Whenever Doyoung thinks he’s being sneaky, Jaehyun will turn around and catch him red-handed. Again, he’s not ogling Jaehyun. His face is just nice to look at.

When lunch is over and everyone starts preparing to open for dinner, Doyoung notices Jaehyun slinking out the back door.

“He smokes a lot,” Seulgi points out, catching Doyoung by surprise.

He looks at Seulgi, then back at the door. “Nasty habit.”

“How are things between the two of you?” She asks, pulling a cast iron pan from under the counter.

Doyoung doesn’t know how to answer that question. First, answering it would imply that there’s something between them. Aside from the fact that they’re each other’s soulmates and are supposedly spending the rest of their lives together, there is nothing between them. Second, he’s not sure how things are going, they’re just normal.

That’s what he tells Seulgi. “Normal.”

She squints. “Define normal.”

Doyoung rolls his eyes. “I don’t know, Seulgi. Just normal.”

Thankfully, Jaehyun comes back inside, forcing Seulgi to drop the subject. There’s suspicion in his eyes when he glances at them but doesn’t ask any questions.

The day flies naturally by. One infuriating patron complains about his beef cubes being raw and, as per their policy, is granted a courtesy dessert. Seulgi has to talk Doyoung down from spitting in his panna cotta. Other than that, it’s pretty peaceful.

Much later when everyone is getting ready to leave, Jaehyun removes his apron, fishing a pack of cigarettes from the pocket. Doyoung acts before thinking.

He grabs Jaehyun by the wrist and fetches the pack from his hand. Jaehyun gawks at him. It’s the first time Doyoung actually touches him. Even during The First Touch, Jaehyun was the one doing the touching. Now, he stares at Doyoung as if he’s grown a second head.

Where Doyoung’s skin touches Jaehyun’s there’s a throb, quite like a heartbeat. He wonders if the soulbond is at fault. 

Doyoung twirls the cigarette pack in his fingers, and says, “This is bad for you.” Then, he tosses the pack in the trash and releases Jaehyun’s wrist. 

With that, Doyoung turns around and marches out of the kitchen, praying to heaven and hell that his walk is firm enough to convey mental stability. Which, currently, he doesn’t possess at all. So Doyoung just walks away as fast as possible. He never sees Jaehyun’s reaction.

 

\--

 

It’s like that touch triggers a sequence of many more touches from which Doyoung simply cannot escape. It’s just that Jaehyun is _good_ , and really smart, and he attacks when Doyoung is unable to react.

When he’s placing a sugar dome over gelato, for instance.

Jaehyun will just step into his personal space and brush feather-light fingers over Doyoung’s neck. Naturally, Doyoung will flinch and shudder and curse at crushing a perfect sugar dome, and Jaehyun will just say something like “You had a coconut flake.”

He doesn’t even look guilty and that’s the worst part.

Sometimes Doyoung thinks it’s payback for throwing Jaehyun’s pack of cigarettes away. Doyoung did that for Jaehyun’s health, he refuses to feel bad. Well, half for Jaehyun’s health and the other half for his own amusement, but the point stands.

Now he’s got to be prepared for Jaehyun’s touches at all times. It’s not even that bad when it doesn’t cause Doyoung to ruin food. Like when Jaehyun places a careful hand on his arm and politely moves him out of the way, that’s okay. Or when Doyoung’s hair is falling over his eyes amid stirring sauce and Jaehyun will brush them aside. That’s also nice.

There’s one touch, though, that’s odd. 

Kun is helping Doyoung scale a large tuna, and they’re casually chattering. Kun is a nice guy, he’s always smiling and being kind to everyone around him. Pretty much every single staff member at Trattoria 65 adores Kun. Which is why Doyoung is surprised by Jaehyun pulling Doyoung’s hand away from Kun’s shoulder. They were chatting and laughing about a silly pun Kun had just told him when Jaehyun _inserts_ himself in between, and pulls Doyoung’s hand from where it was touching Kun.

The change in atmosphere is immediate. The smile falls from Kun’s face, and he stares at Jaehyun in apprehension.

“I can take it from here,” Jaehyun says. It sounds like an order, so Kun simply bows and leaves, dropping his knife on the counter.

For a few seconds, Doyoung is speechless. He just looks at Jaehyun completely flabbergasted, observing him catch the knife Kun discarded and proceed to scale the tuna. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Doyoung asks once Jaehyun shows no signs of reacting to his stance. “Outside?”

Doyoung walks out without waiting for Jaehyun. He can hear Jaehyun’s footsteps follow him out.

Outside, he puts on his angriest face.

“Can you tell me what was that all about?” Doyoung demands.

Jaehyun doesn’t cower from Doyoung’s glare. He holds it instead, his messy hair situation being aggravated by the wind. “He was taking too long. I can do it faster.”

It’s the type of behavior Doyoung’s never seen on Jaehyun before. Even the way he stands, arms folded and chin tilted up, expresses contempt. Doyoung is baffled.

He’s still the boss.

“Look, I know you’re supposed to take Seulgi’s place when she leaves, but for now you’re a cook. Just like Kun. You have absolutely no right to order him around.”

That’s not the only problem. The power imbalance between Jaehyun and the other cooks is astronomical. For starters, he’ll be a sous-chef. There’s also his special relationship with Junmyeon, the actual owner of the restaurant. Lastly but no fucking least, he’s Doyoung’s soulmate. No one in their right might will dare to cross him. He just cannot have that kind of attitude.

Jaehyun sighs. His shoulders seem to ease a bit, and he averts his eyes. “I know that. Didn’t mean to order him around. It was impulsive.”

Doyoung gazes at him, trying to make meaning out of his words. Jaehyun acted on impulse, removed Doyoung’s hand from Kun’s shoulder and shoved Kun aside. More than that, he took on the task Kun was performing. Beside Doyoung.

Oh my god.

He was jealous.

Jaehyun watches the moment understanding falls over Doyoung and blushes, lowering his head.

Jaehyun was _jealous_. Doyoung was chatting with Kun and laughing and touching him, things he hardly ever shares with Jaehyun. And he got jealous.

“Were you-- Were you jealous?” Doyoung asks just for good measure because it’s clear by the way Jaehyun sighs and sheepishly scratches the back of his neck that the assumption is correct. “Oh my god.”

“I’m sorry,” Jaehyun says. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

Doyoung hesitates. “Are you talking about Kun or the jealousy?”

“Both,” Jaehyun shakes his head and huffs. “I’m not like this, I don’t usually act on this kind of thing.”

Which is why he said it was impulsive. Jaehyun takes a step closer and reaches out, as if he intends to take Doyoung’s hand in his, but changes his mind seconds later, letting his arms fall to his side.

“I told you I’d give you space, and I’m trying my best. I was stupid back there, but that’s not who I am. I’ll apologize to Kun and mind the way I talk to the staff. I promise.” Jaehyun repeats that last part, wide eyes on Doyoung, awaiting.

Swallowing, Doyoung nods, scratching his cheek in a pathetic attempt of masking the color on them. “Yeah. Okay.”

Jaehyun smiles, and says, “Thank you, Chef.”

 

Jaehyun does apologize to Kun, and the furtive touches stop altogether. It’s what Doyoung wanted when it all started, but now that Jaehyun is not touching him anymore, he can’t help but miss it.

 

\--

 

For Jungwoo’s birthday, everyone pitches in and they manage to order a fuckton of booze.

It’s not always that Junmyeon will allow a birthday celebration within Trattoria 65 grounds, but Jungwoo’s been working with him since he was in diapers. He might actually be Junmyeon’s oldest employee, so an exception is granted.

It happens on a Saturday for the sole reason that they don’t open on Sundays, making it easier for the whole staff to get shitfaced without worrying about their shift the next day.

Doyoung, being a notorious light-weight, tries to stay away from the strong stuff and keeps to cocktails and sparkling wine. Jaehyun, it seems, is a heavy drinker. He downs shot after shot and shares an entire bottle of vodka with Taeyong, their sommelier (you’d think a wine connoisseur would have fancier drinking habits). Still, he doesn’t seem to be getting any drunker. 

“That man can hold his liquor,” Seulgi comments after following Doyoung’s gaze.

“Yeah, he’s full of surprises isn’t he?” Doyoung says, eyes glued to the corner of the room where Jaehyun is trying to convince Junmyeon to drink rum. He’s got this huge smile on his face, dimples fully engaged, and his hair couldn’t be messier. The top two buttons of his dress shirt are undone, and the sleeves are rolled up all the way to his elbows. He looks… Good.

Not good, he looks amazing. There’s a carefree air to him, cheerful and jovial. Earlier Doyoung spotted ink on the left side of his chest, but he wasn’t able to distinguish what it was. It might have been a tattoo, though, which Doyoung is trying to avoid thinking about because it makes him feel weak on the legs.

“What do you mean?” Seulgi asks, pulling Doyoung’s attention away from Jaehyun.

“Oh. Just. When he came in he was polite and looked like a good boy and all.” Doyoung shrugs, sipping at his sparkling wine. “Then we find out he smokes, handles alcohol like a pirate and above it all has a _tattoo_?” Doyoung snorts, feeling something hot and heavy in the pit of his stomach. “So much for a good boy, amirite?”

Doyoung can feel Seulgi’s gaze on him and ignores it like the plague. The wall has never been so interesting.

“How do you know he has a tattoo?”

“I don’t,” Doyoung shrugs. “I just can see ink on his chest because he’s got two buttons open like a hoodlum that’s all hahaha,” Quickly, he downs the rest of his drink, feeling hot and a bit panicky. “I need another drink.”

Doyoung walks away from Seulgi pretending he’s looking for something else to drink, but in reality, he’s escaping because Seulgi is too perceptive, she’ll see right through him and reach the depths of his thirst, which are impossible to deny at this point.

He stops in front of a wall and proceeds to knock his forehead against it.

Jaehyun is handsome, is a known fact. His voice, Doyoung reckons, is quite sexy. Even his chronically messy hair is attractive. That’s his appearance alone. We’re not considering his nice manners and how empathetic he is, nor his nonexistent pride and how he’s quick to admit and rectify his mistakes. Good lord. Couldn’t life have gone easier on Doyoung and presented him with an ugly and completely undateable soulmate? How is Doyoung supposed to avoid him?

Ultimately, his tentative of escaping Seulgi fails. Doyoung manages to evade her judging eyes but--

“Having fun?” 

Jaehyun has a bottle of rum in a hand while the other sits in his pocket. Did he open a third button on that godforsaken shirt? He’s looking at Doyoung with amusement in his eyes. Well, Doyoung _was_ knocking his forehead on the wall.

Realizing the position he’s in, Doyoung straightens himself and clears his throat.

“Great party,” he says, and it’s the lamest thing anyone has ever said.

“Yeah. Jungwoo passed out a couple minutes ago. There’s a bet running to see if he wakes up or if he’s totaled.” Jaehyun points his head at the wall. “Why were you leaning over there?”

“Um. I was a bit dizzy, but it’s okay now,” Doyoung says.

Jaehyun frowns. “Are you alright? Do you need some air? We can go outside for a minute.”

As he speaks, Jaehyun lifts his arm to point in the direction of the door and the fabric of his shirt ruffles, giving Doyoung the confirmation that it is, indeed, a fucking tattoo on his chest. And a big one at that. Great. Awesome.

Feeling like he’s at the freaking Sahara, Doyoung swallows, regretting his decision of drinking the contents of his flute at once.

“I’m fine,” he croaks. Doyoung clears his throat and repeats, “I’m fine. Gonna grab some water.”

He moves towards the kitchen, but Jaehyun still follows him. Doyoung fills his glass with tap water and drinks it all in a huge gulp.

“Hey, do you--” Jaehyun is clearly trying to say something, but Doyoung interrupts him, swirling around so fast it gives him vertigo.

“Is that a tattoo?” He inquires. The question comes out quite loud, Jaehyun looks a bit startled. Luckily, they’re alone in the kitchen and no one else has to watch Doyoung make a complete fool of himself. _What the fuck is going on_?

Jaehyun is confused by a total of two seconds, realization dawning rather quickly. He peers down at his own chest, brushing a hand at the clothed spot where the design is supposed to be. “Yeah. I didn’t think you could see it?”

“I can,” Doyoung responds, and nods. He can’t help but look down at Jaehyun’s chest. “What is it?”

Jaehyun is squinting when he says, “A wolf.”

A wolf. Goddamnit.

Doyoung swallows and blinks at Jaehyun. “Great. That’s awesome.” Then, he turns around and fills his glass with some more water, drinks the whole thing, places the flute on the counter and says, “I gotta find Seulgi.”

He’s ready to flee again, but Jaehyun freezes all his motor functions with the following words: “Wanna see it?”

If Doyoung wants to see it. Ha.

He turns around, slowly, watching Jaehyun carefully like he’s a minefield all set to go off at the faintest of moves. Doyoung blinks at him, a traitorous bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Jaehyun doesn’t give him a chance to reply, getting on with unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. Doyoung goes completely rigid, eyes following the pace of Jaehyun’s fingers. When the shirt is open, Doyoung feels like he’s been shot right through the fucking heart.

Starting with Jaehyun’s stomach, which is flat and taut and so damn smooth. Doyoung aches to touch, splay his palms right there. And then, because he’s already gone amok, hook a finger on one of the belt loops on his pants, pull him closer. Fuck. 

Then there’s the tattoo. The wolf. It’s half geometric, half realistic, and it sits on a watercolor background. It’s the most beautiful piece of body art Doyoung’s ever seen. He can’t refrain from reaching out, poking a curious finger at Jaehyun’s chest. 

The contact makes Jaehyun’s breath hitch, and Doyoung looks up, meets his eyes. There’s dark, blatant desire in Jaehyun’s gaze. Instead of discouraging him, it fuels Doyoung’s actions, makes him come closer, press his full hand to Jaehyun’s chest. It happens again, that throb, hot and desperate. It could be the soulbond, but it could also be Jaehyun’s heartbeat. It could be both of their heartbeats, but honestly, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is Jaehyun and the fingers that circle Doyoung’s wrist, not admonishing but encouraging. 

There’s a moment in which Doyoung considers closing the distance between them, going right for what he so clearly wants. But then he recalls. This is the Trattoria. Doyoung is the executive chef, and Jaehyun is a cook. This is anything but appropriate.

A voice inside his head (one, Doyoung thinks, he’s heard before) reminds him that this isn’t any coworker. This is Jaehyun, the person who’s set to spend his whole life next to Doyoung. It’s his soulmate.

Doyoung grabs the hand that’s holding him, turns it around to inspect the numbers inked there. It’s the exact same thing. The same numbers he sees on his own wrist, right there, corroborating that this man is his. Doyoung brushes a thumb on the Epoch, lifting his eyes to meet Jaehyun’s. What he sees there is not only dark desire. He also sees hope and affection, and it confuses him. Because they have known each other for a little over three months. Was it enough to give Jaehyun base to look at Doyoung like that?

Jaehyun places a hand on Doyoung’s jaw, tugs at his lower lip with a thumb, and Doyoung makes a noise. It sounds like a moan, but shorter, lower, and it makes Jaehyun take a ragged breath.

“God, you’re so fucking gorgeous,” Doyoung says, feeling so lost in his own mind he’s afraid he’ll never find the way back.

Jaehyun’s eyes flicker all over Doyoung’s face. “I’m fucking gorgeous? Have you looked at yourself? Are you even real?”

 _Yes_ , Doyoung wants to say. _I’m real, touch me_. He’s been rendered speechless. There’s no recollection of him ever feeling like this before. Doyoung’s never wanted someone this badly. It must be the alcohol. It doesn’t matter what brought this on, he doesn’t care. 

So when Jaehyun asks, “Can I kiss you?” Doyoung just nods, closing his fists around Jaehyun’s open shirt and yanking him impossibly closer.

It’s hot, and wet, and desperate, but it tastes so good Doyoung wouldn’t have it any other way. Jaehyun threads a hand into his hair, angling his head better, deepening the kiss. The other hand, he uses to squeeze at Doyoung’s waist before gathering him in. The party sounds are pretty loud, but Doyoung can still hear their mouths catching, sliding against each other. Jaehyun licks into Doyoung’s mouth with purpose, as if it’s his last act as a living man. They pant into each other, parting only in order to breathe, quickly reconnecting their mouths after.

Doyoung has kissed people before, and many of them were mind-blowing experiences. But this. Feeling on the edge of glory for simply gliding his tongue against someone else’s? It’s like this is tenfold the way he’d feel if he were kissing a rando. 

The force of their kiss backs Doyoung against the counter, but they never falter. They just stand there kissing for god knows how long, and it would go for much longer if it weren’t for an intrusion.

Lisa and Jennie, two waitresses, stumble into the kitchen amid a fit of laughter. They halt upon spotting Doyoung and Jaehyun, though.

“Oops!” Jennie says. “My bad!”

“By all means, carry on!” Lisa yells, turning her friend around and leading both of them out of the kitchen.

The kissing stops, but Doyoung and Jaehyun remain glued to each other. Doyoung doesn’t know about Jaehyun, but he’s got no intentions of going anywhere.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Jaehyun inquires.

Well, it seems like Doyoung is going _somewhere_ , after all.

 

Jaehyun’s mouth is hot around Doyoung’s cock. He’s splayed on Jaehyun’s bed, legs spread open, one of Jaehyun’s hands kneading Doyoung’s thigh as the other grips at the base of his dick.

An overwhelming twist in his gut takes Doyoung’s breath away. His eyes fall shut, and he throws his head back, muffling his noises with a fist in his mouth. Jaehyun doesn’t seem all too pleased with that, pulling Doyoung’s hand from his mouth, telling him to _let it out_. 

Jaehyun blows Doyoung like he’s trying to make him lose his mind, tongue teasing around the underside, licking down to Jaehyun’s balls. Doyoung grabs a fist-full of Jaehyun’s hair, yanks it, whispers, “I’m gonna cum, stop--”

Jaehyun ignores him, freeing himself from Doyoung’s hands, sucking his cock with purpose. He eyes Doyoung like a feline; a tiger, ready to pounce at any moment. Doyoung spills into Jaehyun’s mouth.

He’s barely given time to catch his breath from a heart-stopping orgasm. Jaehyun kisses Doyoung’s hip bones, his belly button, sneaks all the way up to Doyoung’s nipples. It’s impossible to keep down when Jaehyun nips and licks at Doyoung’s nub, getting it all wet and red before he moves onto the other one. It’s enough to get Doyoung hard again, and he wonders if it’s a soulbond thing because he’s never had such a quick recovery. 

“How do you want me, baby?” Jaehyun asks, hand pulling Doyoung’s hair back to get an easier access to his neck, open mouth wet all over the area.

Fuck if Doyoung knows, he just wants it. Truth is he’s never been fucked before, but now, right now with Jaehyun’s thick, hard cock heavy against his thigh, Doyoung thinks he just might. In any other situation, he would have never considered the possibility. But this isn’t just _any_ situation, is it? Doyoung feels on edge since the moment Jaehyun got him naked and pushed him onto the bed, which is crazy since he just released. It might Jaehyun’s effect. He might just have this whole bunch of power over Doyoung.

Helpless, Doyoung whispers, “I want you inside me.”

Jaehyun watches Doyoung the whole time his fingers are in Doyoung’s ass. Like he doesn’t want to miss a single look on Doyoung’s face. The prep is quick as if Doyoung is already pliant enough, Jaehyun’s three fingers going in and out with ease. The tip of his cock, though, stretches Doyoung wider than any of his dildos ever have. 

Although Doyoung’s never been fucked by anyone, he has played around by himself. Still, there’s absolutely no comparison. The raw, real way Jaehyun’s cock makes him feel as it buries inside Doyoung, hot and slick. It hurts at first. Jaehyun goes slow and tentative, soothing kisses on Doyoung’s lips, a soft hand carding through his hair. Once Doyoung is used to his size, Jaehyun moves, thrusting carefully, eyes trained on Doyoung’s face. It’s too much, the way Jaehyun looks at him, how doting he’s being. Doyoung’s never felt this whole, this full before. He’s almost sure it’s Jaehyun. Jaehyun is making him feel like he’s at the top of the world.

When the pace catches, Doyoung is unable to hold back his moans. Jaehyun’s cock reaches his prostate and Doyoung arches from the bed, wailing in pleasure. He knows he’s being loud, and he doesn’t care. All he cares about is Jaehyun’s cock and how fast it pounds into him, hitting his spot over and over and over.

Doyoung comes for the second time into Jaehyun’s hand. Jaehyun keeps pumping him, helping Doyoung ride his orgasm, getting cum all over Doyoung’s stomach. A couple minutes later Jaehyun is releasing, painting Doyoung’s cock and thighs white.

Jaehyun falls on top of him, breathing heavily on Doyoung’s neck. Doyoung’s arms circle Jaehyun’s body lazily, even though their cocks are touching and Doyoung is still sensitive. It’s fine. He just wants to lie down for a bit. Just a tiny bit. 

 

\--

 

A shared sense of shame swirls around the Trattoria on Monday. 

Taeyong pulls an empty bottle of gin from the cellar; Kun retrieves his lost sock from the staff toilet; Lisa wears her hair in a neat bun to mask the uneven locks that were cut at some point on Saturday night. Doyoung, in his turn, avoids Jaehyun like the plague. 

Because, you know, they had mind-blowing sex and Doyoung fled at five in the morning, tip-toeing around the room not to wake Jaehyun. In his defense, he was still a bit drunk. And ashamed. And afraid that Jaehyun would wake up and catch Doyoung there, lying naked in his bed with dry cum all over the sheets. Doyoung wasn’t planning on staying the night, he was just gonna relax for a couple minutes and get dressed. The fact that Jaehyun is his soulmate didn’t alter anything in a hookup that was most definitely a one-night-stand. So, obviously, Doyoung had to leave.

Now they’re here working around each other, Doyoung refraining from looking up in fear of accidentally spotting Jaehyun. He can feel Jaehyun’s eyes on him, lingering, pondering, and it gets him suddenly warm, a shiver running down his spine. He never tries to approach Doyoung, though. From the moment Doyoung stepped foot inside the kitchen, Jaehyun has remained silent, following Seulgi’s orders and working alongside the other cooks. He goes outside a few times for a smoke, Doyoung suspects, but doesn’t utter a single word in Doyoung’s direction.

Which is good.

Isn’t it?

Doyoung gave their _thing_ the status of one-night-stand, and according to the rule of thumb, the parties involved don’t necessarily have to discuss the activities indulged in. So they don’t have to talk. At all. 

At the end of the day Jaehyun leaves through the back door, and Seulgi drags Doyoung into the office.

“What the fuck is going on between the two of you?” She demands.

Doyoung doesn’t even waste his breath coming up with an excuse. “We had sex.”

Seulgi clearly wasn’t expecting that. Her jaw slacks and she stares at Doyoung in silence for a couple beats. “You had sex?”

“We did,” Doyoung runs a frantic hand through his hair. “It was great. I left before he woke up the next morning.”

Seulgi frowns, “What do you mean you left? You left your soulmate?”

“Ha. When you say it like that it sounds worse than it actually is.” Doyoung scratches his chin. “See, we’re not… Anything. There’s nothing between us. It was… Just sex?”

“Doyoung, not even you believe that crap.” 

Rolling his eyes, Doyoung says, “Whether you believe it or not, it was just sex. Jaehyun didn’t say a word about it when he came in today, which means he’s fine with it being what it was. A one-night-stand.”

Seulgi snorts, folding her arms on her chest. “Of course he didn’t. You were acting as if he was a leper.”

Fine, Doyoung was the first one to avoid eye contact when he came in. Jaehyun just followed his lead. Makes him wonder if he _did_ have something to say, though. 

Sighing really loudly in order to convey her exasperation (she really needs to make a point it seems), Seulgi says, “Whatever. The menu is done isn’t it?”

She doesn’t even wait for Doyoung to answer, quickly shuffling out of the office. What the hell was she expecting from him? That he’d propose to Jaehyun in a post-hookup high? It’s not like Doyoung is opposed to sleeping with Jaehyun again, but that’s the extent of it. Doyoung is not looking for anything other than that.

 

\--

 

Doyoung falls sick three days later. It’s a clear universal demonstration of how much he’s loathed by each and every divine entity out there because they’re being visited by a critic and Doyoung _has_ to be at the restaurant. But he’s sick. He can’t be in the kitchen.

Drinking half a bottle of cough syrup, Doyoung barks orders from the comfort of his couch, blanket wrapped around his shoulder just for visual effect because he’s not even that cold. He’s warm, even, too anxious and nervous about their first review in months. Seulgi tries to reassure him that everything is going smoothly, the Trattoria is not that packed so they’re being meticulous with each dish.

This isn’t even a big review, it’s a mid-tier website with a target audience mostly composed of tourists looking for good and cheap places to visit in the area. It will probably be a good one. The problem is that Doyoung is currently sitting on his couch, a half-empty bottle of honey and ginger cough syrup in hand and a blanket around his shoulders. He should be at the Trattoria supervising everything and making sure all the plates that touch the critic’s table come straight from his hands.

It’s silly because Seulgi is totally capable of running everything without Doyoung breathing on her neck. They’ve learned together from Old Man Choi and Doyoung suspects the only reason they’re not co-chefs is that Seulgi announced she’d be leaving town as soon as she got married. For a blessed hour, Doyoung rests assured that everything will be fine in Seulgi’s hands. 

Then, blessed hour gone, he opens his front door to Jung Jaehyun, messy hair and cigarette stench clinging to his clothes. Doyoung just stares at him in disbelief.

“What are you doing here?” He asks. It doesn’t make sense for Jaehyun to be here when something important is going on at the Trattoria.

“Seulgi said you were sick, so I brought you some soup,” Jaehyun lifts a bag, a takeout one from the Trattoria, and blinks at Doyoung as if there’s nothing wrong with this situation. “Can I come in?”

Doyoung opens his mouth, then closes it, unsure of what to say. He should scold Jaehyun. He’s missing work hours and the staff could be really in need of his assistance. But Doyoung stills, hand on the doorknob as he frowns at Jaehyun.

Jaehyun’s eyes drop to the cough syrup in Doyoung’s hand and points to it. “My soup will definitely taste better than that. Let me come in, I’ll heat it up.”

Speechless, a bit stunned, Doyoung steps out of the way, following Jaehyun with his eyes as he comes in.

What made him think it would be okay to just abandon work and come here because someone mentioned that Doyoung was sick? Did Jaehyun even let the staff know he wouldn’t be showing up? Had he made over to the Trattoria and _then_ left in search of Doyoung? It’s… Really weird.

“What are you doing here?” Doyoung asks again, just because he doesn’t think the first answer Jaehyun gave him was the right one.

Jaehyun, who’s already going around Doyoung’s kitchen looking for pans and anything he might need to heat the soup (soup!!!!! He made soup!!!! what), turns around and blinks at Doyoung for a brief moment before going back to his task. 

“I told you,” Jaehyun says. “Seulgi said you’re sick, so I brought you soup. Where do you keep ladles?”

“Bottom drawer to your right,” Doyoung shakes his head. “How did you even know where I live?”

“Seulgi,” Jaehyun answers absently as if the whole thing is no big deal. Like it’s not weird that he’s in Doyoung’s kitchen heating him soup (that he made it for Doyoung himself!!!!!) after five days of radio silence following mind-blowing sex.

Because it’s weird. Doyoung didn’t say a word in Jaehyun’s direction after Jungwoo’s party, Jaehyun didn’t try to start up a conversation either. They simply haven’t spoken. In five days. And now… 

Doyoung lets the blanket drop to his feet, steps closer to the kitchen counter. “We’re having a critic over, you should be there helping.”

“They have it under control, Seulgi said it was okay for me to come,” Jaehyun says, back to Doyoung.

Oh, so he consulted Seulgi before knocking on Doyoung’s door. Seulgi knew Jaehyun was coming over and didn’t have the decency of warning Doyoung. That piece of knowledge threatens to light his insides on fire, but Doyoung cools it down.

He tightens his jaw, breathes in, and says, “It still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

Jaehyun, who has a ladle in hand, braces on the edge of the sink and sighs. “I know you hate me, but can you let me do this one thing for you?” He’s not looking at Doyoung, eyes fixed on the floor. Doyoung can see tiredness on the lines of his face. It sends an uncomfortable pang down his chest.

Doyoung’s first instinct is to respond to Jaehyun’s allegations of being hated. Doyoung doesn’t… Hate him. Not anymore, at least. It would be stupid to try and hate one’s own soulmate when you seem to be biologically expected to love them.

Clearing his throat, Doyoung nods curtly. “Okay.”

 

There are touches of cayenne and coriander in the soup. It’s moderately spicy, the flavors still being able to prevail over the heat. Doyoung eats in silence, the bottle of cough syrup resting on the counter a bit to the side. He thinks Jaehyun moved it farther from his reach. The soup is delicious. Doyoung didn’t even realize he was starving before Jaehyun opened the plastic container.

Normally, Doyoung would take his opinion on Jaehyun’s cooking to his grave, but this guy came all the way over with soup because he heard Doyoung was sick. It’s okay to swallow his pride for once.

“It’s good,” Doyoung says. He adjusts the blanket around his shoulders, feeling them hunch a bit over. He doesn’t look up at Jaehyun, but he’s been sitting next to Doyoung by the counter the entire time, watching Doyoung eat with hawk-like eyes. As if Doyoung would dump all the content of the bowl into the nearest plant pot if he looks away.

“Mm,” Jaehyun hums, elbow on the countertop, chin in a hand. Doyoung can see the numbers on his wrist. “How are you feeling?”

Doyoung actually considers his answer. “My eyes hurt.”

Jaehyun reaches over the counter to press the back of his hand onto Doyoung’s forehead. As if he checks for Doyoung’s temperature every day and the fact that their skins are in contact right now isn’t mildly distressing. Doyoung’s heart picks up, and he tightens the grip on the spoon. 

“It’ll probably go away if you take a nap,” Jaehyun says, pulling his hand back. “I can go out and get some painkillers if you want.”

Doyoung shakes his head, “My little brother thinks pills are poison. We’ve only been having herbal and natural stuff for years.” Doyoung jerks his head towards the cough syrup.

The expression on Jaehyun’s face shifts and his forearm slowly lowers to the countertop. “You have a little brother?”

“Yeah,” Doyoung says. “Jeno.”

“I didn’t know that.”

There’s lots of stuff Jaehyun doesn’t know, Doyoung wants to say, but that would be idiotic considering he’s the sole reason Jaehyun lacks that information.

“How old is he?” Jaehyun asks.

“Twenty,” Doyoung replies, spooning some more soup. He thinks about how Jeno’s a whole college student, but Doyoung is unable to think about him as anything _but_ his baby brother. It makes him smile.

“Does he live with you?” Jaehyun looks around the apartment, probably searching for evidence that supports the theory of Jeno living with Doyoung.

“Nah, he’s in college. I’d like for him to live here after he’s done with it, but I doubt that’s ever going to happen.”

“Why? Do you guys fight a lot?” There’s the hint of amusement around Jaehyun’s words. Doyoung looks up at him while he chews. “He’s younger than you. Baby brothers can be annoying sometimes.”

Shaking his head, Doyoung lowers the spoon and turns to face Jaehyun. He’s indeed smiling. It’s a nice smile. “We never fought much. Of course, it happened, but we’ve always gotten along pretty well. He’s the most important thing in the world.”

That last statement seems heavy somehow, and Doyoung briefly wonders if he’s oversharing. He swirls the spoon around the soup.

“He must love you a lot,” Jaehyun says.

Doyoung smiles absently, poking a piece of carrot with his spoon until it breaks apart.

“Does he know you’re sick?”

He’d probably come over and play nurse if Doyoung had told him. Shaking his head, Doyoung looks up at Jaehyun. “He’d worry. Says I work too much.”

“He’s right.” There’s no judgment in Jaehyun’s tone. He’s only pointing out a fact.

“There’s a difference between overworking and hard-working,” Doyoung says dutifully, and spoons more soup into his mouth. 

Jaehyun nods, “Agreed. I know you work really hard, but I also know the only reason you’re not working right now is that you’d probably contaminate the pasta dough.”

That makes Doyoung snort. He presses his index finger under his nose. Jaehyun chuckles.

For a few minutes, there’s only the sound of Doyoung’s spoon scraping on the bottom of the bowl. It’s a comfortable silence. He’s surprised to notice he’s not at all bothered by Jaehyun’s presence. In fact, there’s something soothing about Jaehyun being there, sitting next to Doyoung while he eats. He still smells like cigarettes, but, somehow, Doyoung is not bothered.

Maybe it’s this soft element that pushes Doyoung into blurting, “I don’t hate you.”

It’s stupid. They’ve moved past that statement already, Jaehyun probably wasn’t expecting Doyoung to bring it up now. He still said it. And Doyoung keeps thinking about it. He gave Jaehyun all the reasons to believe that, with the way he was treated, how Doyoung refused to even look him in the eye, to be anywhere near him. And then Doyoung… Ran away. But he doesn’t hate Jaehyun. Not anymore, he doesn’t. Something changed; it changed the minute The First Touch happened. It’s not instant love, Doyoung knows that’s not possible. It’s still something.

He ran away because he couldn't bring himself to face Jaehyun the morning after. Doyoung knew he would have to say something, they would _talk_ , and he wasn’t sure that was a conversation he wanted to have. What would he even say? Jaehyun is well articulated, he looks like he’s got his shit together when it comes to this soulmate business. Doyoung doesn’t. His shit is all over the place. 

“Why did you ignore me for five days, then?”

How can Doyoung explain to Jaehyun that he was actually embarrassed? That he _wanted_ , and he was so drunk he wasn’t able to stop himself from making it fucking obvious how much he wanted. How can Doyoung say that to him?

“I-I didn’t-- I mean, we… There was professionalism, right?” _Fuck_.

Jaehyun frowns, clearly puzzled by the words. Of course he would be confused when Doyoung has the communication skills of a fucking worm.

Sighing, Jaehyun gives up on translation. “Wasn’t expecting you to stay, but I was still disappointed when I woke up and you were gone.”

That fire that threatened to burn inside him when Jaehyun first showed up sparks again, but for another reason entirely. Doyoung blinks down at his bowl of lukewarm soup, but then decides he can handle looking Jaehyun in the eye. So he does. They gaze at each other for a second or two.

Then, Jaehyun is moving. “I should let you rest. Are you done?” He points to the bowl.

Doyoung blinks, and nods. Jaehyun retrieves the dish and brings it over to the sink, quickly washing and putting it away. 

“It was really tasty,” Doyoung says because he figures he should say something. “Thank you.”

Jaehyun turns around, leans back on the sink and folds his arms on his chest. His hair is still messy (Seriously what is up with that? He doesn’t own a brush or is that part of his aesthetics?) and his clothes quite wrinkled. He smiles.

“No problem,” his voice is soft, velvety. It would be nice to fall asleep to that sound. “Can I ask you something?”

A quick wave of apprehension comes and goes. Doyoung nods, fiddling with the hems of his blanket.

It takes Jaehyun a beat to finally ask his question. “Did anything change? In the way you feel about me?” 

Ah, there it is. Doyoung’s opportunity to be honest with himself _and_ his soulmate. He knows the answer to this question, it’s quite easy actually. He would just have to… Let it out. There’s this thing tugging at the back of his mind that feels a bit like a set of chains trying to constrict him.

Doyoung breathes in, and looks at Jaehyun as he says, “Yes.”

Slowly, a smile appears on Jaehyun’s face. It’s so genuine it’s nearly impossible for Doyoung to repress his own. Pushing off the counter, Jaehyun nods, looking extremely pleased. He walks towards the door, getting it open. His hand lingers on the knob as he turns around to face Doyoung one last time.

“Take care of yourself, Chef. I’ll see you soon.” He winks, and then he’s gone.

 

\--

 

On a Thursday, Kun calls in sick. It’s not an issue, they’re all used to a routine, so things go by smoothly. Although Seulgi is not able to give Jaehyun any instructions, busy with work of her own.

Jaehyun’s been with them for long enough that he doesn’t need constant supervision (or step by steps). Still, Doyoung finds himself sliding next to Jaehyun, offering tips and recommendations that are not entirely necessary.

It’s something new, this inclination towards guiding, _mentoring_ Jaehyun. He’ll be kneading dough and Doyoung will step closer, suggest that he uses the heel of his hands a bit more softly, that he should turn the dough occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the surface. Simple, obvious things that Jaehyun most probably knows all about, but won’t protest against being told to mind them. He’ll just smile and utter a dutiful _’Yes, Chef’._

The next night, Doyoung invites Jaehyun to take a closer look into the Gnocchi.

“It’s just potato, flour, and eggs,” Doyoung says, sprinkling more flour onto the mixture that’s sitting on the counter. “The secret is on how you treat the dough. How you knead and cut it. How you cook it. Here, try it out.”

Throughout these experiments together, Doyoung realizes that Jaehyun truly is talented. And so placid as well. He’s got no problems with being ordered around, having someone tell him the broth is too salty, or that the linguini he cut is looking a lot more like fettuccine. Working next to Jaehyun is easy and quite comfortable. He’s silent when he’s focusing on something, and Doyoung finds that he enjoys watching the way Jaehyun’s fingers curl while shaping tortellini.

Something else that Doyoung notices is that Jaehyun’s smoke breaks reduce whenever they’re working together. If Seulgi is the one supervising his cooking, Jaehyun will slip outside three or four times a night, whereas, with Doyoung, that number decreases to almost zero. The moment he realizes, Doyoung catches himself wondering why. He _has_ been very vocal about a fervent displeasure at cigarette smoke, so… Yes, probably.

The next Monday both Doyoung and Jaehyun are at the market. 

It’s Seulgi’s idea. She’s usually the one accompanying Doyoung, the two of them already used to the bustling of marketers and customers in between rows of stands, the sweetness of fresh produce and baked goods permeating the air.

“You should show him around,” Seulgi said over the phone the previous “I’ll be gone and he’ll be the one tagging along, so. Better get him used to it, right?”

She’s right in the sense that trips to the market are experiences to get used to. 

“You can’t buy produce from just any stall,” Doyoung says as they squeeze their way past a bunch of people purchasing goat milk. “We usually go to Sol or Minhyun.”

“Why?” Jaehyun asks, following Doyoung closely as if he’s afraid to be left behind. “Is there anything wrong with the other stands?”

Basil is looking good at Grannie’s, so Doyoung stops in his track and turns to her stand, greeting her with a wide smile.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, Grannie,” He says, touching the green leaves with delicate fingers. 

“I had some complications with my joints,” she mumbles, waving a hand at Doyoung.

“These look super fresh.”

Grannie hums, “We got them this morning. Should I get you some?”

“Yes, please. Get me five hundred grams. Got the address?” 

Grannie nods, “They’ll be there by the afternoon.”

“Great, thanks, Grannie!” Doyoung waves, and walks away.

Jaehyun, who keeps walking too close, asks, “You’re not going to take it with you?”

“What, the herbs?” Doyoung shoots him a quick look. “That would be crazy. We wouldn’t be able to carry everything ourselves. They’ll wrap everything up and get it delivered to the restaurant. Junmyeon will be there to receive and pay for what we buy.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

Doyoung hums, taking a moment to inspect some rosy peaches. The owner of the stand points out that they brought those from China only two days ago. Doyoung lifts one for a sniff and offers it to Jaehyun, who looks a bit startled at first but smells the fruit eventually.

“What do you think?” Doyoung asks.

Jaehyun blinks, taking the peach from Doyoung's hands in order to squeeze it a bit, taking another whiff. “Smells like it’s still not totally ripe. Do we have any dishes with peaches?”

Doyoung looks back at the owner and asks him to wrap up five peaches before answering Jaehyun. “We don’t, but remember we’re always changing the menu?” Realization dawns onto Jaehyun, and Doyoung continues. “Sometimes we’ll walk through the market and see something inspiring.”

The owner hands him a brown bag and Doyoung pays him with a couple crumpled bills. Then, he beckons Jaehyun to keep walking.

“Why did you only buy five?” Jaehyun asks, eyes on the brown bag.

“Because I touched it. And I wasn’t about to order anything from that stand. So these babies are coming back home with me, and maybe I’ll find something new for the menu.”

When they finally reach Sol’s stand, Doyoung has a jar of roasted cashew nuts and Jaehyun is munching on a fresh cookie, big eyes taking everything in. He looks like a child, Doyoung realizes, fascinated by the grandeur of something. It’s just a regular market, really, but Doyoung remembers his younger self accompanying Old Man Choi alongside Seulgi through these stands, committing everything to memory. They were lucky Choi was willing to bring them over after a whole 24 hours of whining and pleading. Luca Alfonsi is well known for not wasting time with tutoring, so interns in his kitchen must be highly observant and make sure not to miss any of his moves. Alfonsi probably never took any of them to the market, which would definitely explain Jaehyun’s amateur vibe.

“Yo, Doyoung!” Sol exclaims the moment she spots him, her messy bun swaying on top of her head as she flails her limbs at him. Doyoung laughs. “Long time no see, man!”

“Hi, Sol,” Doyoung says, poking at the tomatoes. There’s give to them where the pad of his finger presses. “They’re ripe.”

“They always are,” Sol says. Her eyes are on Jaehyun. “Where’s Seulgi?”

“You know Seulgi’s moving away after the wedding, right?” Doyoung jerks a thumb at Jaehyun. “This is Jaehyun, he’ll be taking over as the sous-chef after she leaves.” Doyoung purposefully leaves out the part about them being soulmates. Sol doesn’t need that bit of information.

“No way! You look young!” Sol presses forward and squints at Jaehyun, who chuckles.

“I’m twenty-four.”

“That’s still young as fuck,” she folds her arms on her chest. “What is it like working with Mister Strict over there?”

Refusing to acknowledge the tingling in his cheeks, Doyoung says, “The reason why we usually shop at Sol’s is that she knows how to keep her _mouth shut_.”

Sol rolls her eyes; Jaehyun smiles.

Doyoung clears his throat, “Usual for the tomatoes.”

“Alright, Chef,” Sol says, and the kid standing next to her -- her little brother -- scribbles something on a pad. “Tomatoes are good, but our jewel today is this.”

She comes out from under the stall holding two figs in her hands. They’re big, and their skin is totally purple. Sol offers one to Doyoung and another to Jaehyun. Upon having the fruit pressed onto his palm, Doyoung can tell it’s ripe.

“This smells nice,” Jaehyun says.

“‘Course it does,” Sol says. “We grow our shit, it’s all organic.”

Doyoung can sense Jaehyun turning to him in question. He says, “Sol’s family has a farm. They’ve been growing and selling their products here for… Ten? Fifteen years?”

“You insult me, Kim. It’s been twenty-five years,” She gives Jaehyun a pointed look. “That’s longer than you’ve been alive, kid.”

Jaehyun wows, and Doyoung smiles at his awe. It’s cute.

“My mom has a deep relationship with our gardens,” Sol explains. “They’ve been cared for better than Seokie over here.”

The boy next to her grumbles, but doesn’t utter actual words.

“They have the best stuff in the market,” Doyoung says, looking up at Sol. “Get me some figs as well. Do you have corn this week? Jaehyun makes great polenta.”

It’s only after he can feel Jaehyun’s disbelief coming at him in waves that Doyoung notices he’s never praised any of Jaehyun’s dishes. Besides the soup he brought over when Doyoung was sick, that is. He can feel Jaehyun’s huge eyes on him, senses that Jaehyun wants to ask, say something.

“Oh, really?” Sol breaks through. “Sorry, dude, we’ll only have corn around Thursday. I can get someone to bring them over to you if you’d like.”

“T-that would be nice,” Doyoung says, getting his attention away from Jaehyun. “Parsley and olives?”

“Only next week. I think Minhyun got them, though. Not sure if there are any good ones. That Chef from the new French fusion place came over earlier.”

Oh, the foreigner. Doyoung’s heard about her. He’s been trying to get Seulgi to go over there with him, but she keeps saying his reasons are arbitrary. Doyoung doesn’t even know what that means.

“We’ll stop by. Thanks, Sol.”

“You got it, bro. Bye Jaehyun. Come back soon!” Sol waves at Jaehyun, giving him a sweet smile. 

Doyoung tugs at the sleeve of Jaehyun’s coat and pulls him, herding them in the direction of Minhyun’s stand.

“She’s nice,” Jaehyun says.

Doyoung hums, not engaging the topic. Something unpleasant twirls in his stomach; he ignores it and keeps walking.

At Minhyun’s they pick up parsley, olives, and some potatoes. By the end of the journey, they get coffee at Jaejun’s stand and make the walk back to the restaurant.

“That was awesome,” Jaehyun says. His hair is disheveled as per usual, and his cheeks are pink from the coffee. Doyoung tries not to stare despite how much his eyes want to betray him. “Thanks for taking me here.”

“It was Seulgi’s idea,” Doyoung says, blinking at Jaehyun. 

“You could have refused,” Jaehyun shrugs, meets Doyoung’s eyes. “But you didn’t. Thank you.”

Well, Doyoung didn’t see _that_ coming. 

_That_ being the fire in his entire face and the crippling desire to just… Touch Jaehyun. Give the back of his neck a squeeze, maybe wrap a hand around his forearm, fix that ridiculously messy hair of his.

It’s true, things have changed between them. From Doyoung giving Jaehyun his attention in the kitchen to the subtle touches, a hand over another while demonstrating a better way to stir sauce, a hand over hip while passing by, a pat on the back while berating the habit of smoking. The way Jaehyun feels a lot more comfortable around Doyoung, laughing and joking and asking for input on his cooking.

Doyoung… Likes it.

He likes that Jaehyun knows his way around the kitchen, that he’s precise when cooking duck, that his mozzarella is as good as Doyoung’s. 

He likes that Jaehyun’s hair is _always_ unkempt and how adorable he looks when it’s too early and he’s barely awake.

Doyoung likes that Jaehyun respects his space, that he kept his word about giving Doyoung time, that he never pushed too far.

Doyoung likes it all. He wasn’t looking for anything when Jaehyun came around. Having a soulmate was a distant, nearly unreal concept to him. It was one of those things you see happening to everyone else, but you don’t really expect it to happen to you. But it did. And Doyoung can’t help but feel… Content. It’s so weird, and so, so new. But nice.

Coming to the market with Jaehyun, grabbing cookies, having a coffee. That’s the sort of thing Doyoung wouldn’t mind getting used to. 

Maybe next time he’ll introduce Jaehyun as his soulmate.

 

\--

 

Seulgi’s been watching him all day. 

She probably thinks Doyoung can’t tell, guessing she’s too subtle. She’s not, and Doyoung _definitely_ can tell he’s being observed. He just doesn’t know why.

“Something changed,” Seulgi says later when they’re going over the menu. The lights in the kitchen are dim, and the staff has gone home for the day. It’s just the two of them. “Between you and Jaehyun. Something changed.”

Doyoung blinks at the book lying on the stainless steel counter. He knows exactly what Seulgi is talking about, but he still asks, “What are you talking about?”

Seulgi lets out a frustrated noise. “D-- He had flour on his cheek earlier. And you wiped it off!”

Oh. Yes, that. It happened. They were trying out the gnocchi recipe Doyoung taught Jaehyun last week and Jaehyun got some flour on his cheek. Doyoung could have told him about it so Jaehyun would wipe it himself. He doesn’t know what prompted him to lift his hand and brush a thumb over Jaehyun’s cheek. The smile Jaehyun gave him afterward was nice.

“He was feeling antsy about that salmoriglio,” Seulgi continues, gesturing while she speaks. “You know his feet start tapping on the floor when he wants to smoke, so you _squeezed his arm_ , then you _touched his hand_! You offered him reassurance, Doyoung! You comforted him!”

Doyoung absently touches his cheek, avoids Seulgi’s eyes. He says, in a weak voice, “The dressing was good, so.”

He never sees the enthusiastic slap coming. It makes him lurch forward, stomach colliding with the edge of the counter. “Bullshit! You knew he needed your approval, so you gave it to him.” Seulgi heaves a loud, delighted sigh. “I can’t say I’m not surprised, but I’m pleased. And happy.”

“When he came in he was crestfallen that you hated him,” Seulgi says. “He came all the way here from Italy because he wanted to learn from you, but you turned out to be a complete jackass. He thought about leaving, you know?” That makes Doyoung look up, confusion settling over his face. “Yeah. He thought working with you when you wouldn’t even look at him would turn out to be difficult. But then the soulmates thing happened, and he realized… _We_ realized that the hero worship he felt towards you could have been the soulbond all along.”

Seulgi talks like she’s been lending Jaehyun a shoulder to cry on ever since he started working at the Trattoria. She might have. Doyoung was adamant on pretending Jaehyun wasn’t there and she was the sous-chef, she would have built a relationship of sorts with him.

“He thought about leaving?” Doyoung asks.

Nodding, Seulgi smiles at him. It’s not a big, toothy smile. This one is muted, almost sad. “We’ve been friends… Best friends for years. I know you don’t open up to others easily. I’ve always been your point of connection when it comes to the restaurant and I think you know that as well, that one of the main reasons why we’ve been taking so long to get married is because I’ve been worrying about you.”

Doyoung knows, he knew the entire time. Still, hearing Seulgi say it it’s still like a needle slowly piercing his chest.

“Chan is ready. He’s actually getting impatient,” She chuckles. “We don’t want a big ceremony, so we could put everything together in a month and just leave. But we haven’t already because I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and the restaurant, and you and the restaurant without _me_.” She sneaks a hand onto Doyoung’s, gives it a squeeze. “When Jaehyun showed up and you reacted the way you did I swear I thought about staying. I considered going up to Chan and suggesting we stayed here.”

“That’s ridiculous, I wouldn’t have let you,” Doyoung says. “You know I wouldn’t.”

Seulgi snorts and squeezes Doyoung’s hand tighter. “You would try, I’m sure. But I’d have stayed. At least until you opened up to him. And if you didn’t, I’d stay and help you find someone you felt comfortable with.”

The person Seulgi talks about is skittish and dependent. Doyoung would argue in his own defense, but he knows she’s right in many ways. Seulgi _is_ his point of connection, she was the one who got to know the new members of the staff beforehand, she was the one who dealt with patrons most of the time.

“Which is why I’m happy to see you’re letting him in,” she says, the smile on her face opening up wide and bright. “He’s good, Doyoung. 

Doyoung thinks about Jaehyun’s messy hair and his _offensive_ tattoo and his good manners. He smiles.

“I know he is.”

Seulgi comes forward and envelops Doyoung in a tight, long hug. “You deserve someone good,” she says.

 _You do too_ , Doyoung thinks. He steps away from the hug, holds both of her shoulders, and levels her with a stare while he says, “You should go and get married.”

It makes Seulgi throw her head back in laughter. “Oh, don’t worry. I will.”

 

\--

 

Seulgi’s parents’ house has a huge green open area, and they’ve managed to decorate it beautifully. There’s an intricate, woven arch with white and pink flowers where Seulgi and her soulmate both said yes earlier this afternoon. Now that’s dusk, they’re turning on all the tiny led lights that were placed into mason jars and hung on the tree branches, giving the garden a storybook, fairytale feel. Everything is really simple but so beautiful. The best part is catching sight of Seulgi in her flowy white dress and seeing how happy she looks.

Scoping out the area, Doyoung finds Jeno having a conversation with Taeyong and his little brother, Mark. Jaehyun was sitting next to them, but he’s gone now. Frowning, Doyoung keeps looking, trying to figure out where Jaehyun disappeared to.

“You looking for me?” Is whispered in his ear and Doyoung jolts, turning around in a scare. 

Jaehyun is laughing at him, eyes creasing and dimples showing. That bastard.

“If it was a snake it would have bit me,” Doyoung groans, flattening down his suit jacket.

“I would have never bit you,” Jaehyun says, and something in his voice tone makes the sharp bristles in Doyoung’s skin settle down. Jaehyun offers him a flute. “Want some sparkling wine?”

Doyoung takes it and sips at the drink, turning to look at Seulgi and Chan dancing to a popular choreography in the middle of the dancefloor.

“She looks happy,” Doyoung says.

“She is,” Jaehyun agrees. “Have you ever thought about doing something like this?”

Doyoung snorts, “Something like what, marriage?”

“Yes.”

The weight of Jaehyun’s voice makes Doyoung face him. There’s a shimmer, a purpose in his eyes, in the way he meets Doyoung’s steadfastly, unwavering. Doyoung swallows thickly.

“Not really,” he shrugs, trying desperately hard to sound _normal_. “Never thought about getting married. It wasn’t a dream of mine. No.” Jaehyun nods in understanding, sips at his wine. Doyoung asks, “What about you?”

“I thought about having a family,” Jaehyun replies, looking at Doyoung. “You know? Getting a big house, maybe a dog.” 

Doyoung instantly recalls the flash he got from The First Touch, both of them petting a puppy, together in what could have been a big house. A shiver runs down his spine, and Doyoung sucks in a breath.

Marriage, just as having a soulmate, was never in Doyoung’s thoughts. However, standing next to Jaehyun, being with him every day, talking to him, laughing with him, getting to know him… All those things make it easy to consider.

Just the other day, during their latest get together for testing new recipes, Jaehyun leaned his head on Doyoung’s shoulder. It’s not something they tried before, but it felt just natural to wrap an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulders, so Doyoung did just that. And no one even paid them any mind. Jaehyun smelled like cigarettes, but it was nice. Doyoung felt comfortable like that.

He also doesn’t mind having Jaehyun wrap an arm around his waist and prop his chin on Doyoung’s shoulder in order to watch him prepare ragu. He doesn’t mind Jaehyun brushing his hair away from his forehead and pinning it back with a clip. Doyoung definitely doesn’t mind Jeno befriending Jaehyun on a social network and spending most of his time hanging out with Jaehyun rather than Doyoung when he comes home after six whole months in school.

Every single one of these things configures intimacy, Doyoung realizes. He doesn’t mind being intimate with Jaehyun. He hasn’t minded in a while.

“What are you thinking about?” Jaehyun asks.

Doyoung blinks at him, looks at his properly styled hair, his pretty eyes. “Was thinking about you.”

It’s funny to watch surprise take over Jaehyun’s face. Doyoung laughs at how taken aback he looks.

“Me?” Jaehyun asks cautiously.

“Yeah.”

“What about me?”

Shrugging, Doyoung sips at his glass. “Just you.”

“Are you about to propose to me?” Jaehyun jokes. 

Doyoung meets him head-on. “Maybe.”

That sends Jaehyun into a coughing fit. An old lady that Doyoung suspects is Seulgi’s aunt asks if he’s doing okay, and Jaehyun just nods, holding onto Doyoung’s arm for support as he doubles over coughing.

Doyoung gives him a couple gentle pats on the back and mutters ‘there, there’.

Once Jaehyun recovers, tears still clinging to his lashes, he stares at Doyoung. “Are you serious?”

Doyoung holds his gaze for a beat. “Maybe not about marriage. You once mentioned you’d be waiting for me to be ready,” Doyoung says, looking down at Jaehyun’s hand that’s now sliding down to hold Doyoung’s wrist. “Are you still waiting?”

“Yes,” Jaehyun says, eyes a bit wider than they were a second ago. “Of course.”

He looks eager, hopeful. To have someone look at him like that, _want_ to be with him the way Jaehyun does is a blessing, Doyoung finally realizes.

“I think I’m ready.”

Jaehyun looks halfway into another coughing fit, but a huge gulp finishes off his drink, then he moves onto Doyoung’s, which makes Doyoung laugh.

“Take it easy,” Doyoung says, squeezing his shoulder. 

Jaehyun straightens up, places both glasses on the tray a passing waiter carries, then turns to Doyoung.

“You’re not joking, are you?”

Doyoung frowns, “Why would I joke about something like that?” He shakes his head. “I mean it.”

Jaehyun eyes him, blinking.

“I’m ready, Jaehyun,” Doyoung repeats, making sure Jaehyun is able to read his intent in his eyes. Jaehyun does, if the shaky breath he lets out is any indication. 

Slowly, he lifts Doyoung’s hand, turns it palm up. Jaehyun brushes both thumbs over the numbers engraved there, their date. Epoch. Then, just as slowly and carefully as he’s holding it, Jaehyun leans down and presses a kiss on Doyoung’s wrist. The touch of his lips on Doyoung’s skin sends a shiver down Doyoung’s spine, affection surging into him in such a violent way it threatens to flood Doyoung’s insides.

Jaehyun kisses Doyoung’s wrist one more time, and then again, and again. It seems like he’s not planning on stopping any time soon, so Doyoung does it for him, lifting his head with fingers under his chin. Jaehyun looks at him, eyes roaming all over Doyoung’s face. Doyoung places a hand over Jaehyun’s chest, exactly where he remembers the tattoo to be.

“You should kiss my lips, Jaehyun,” Doyoung says.

It’s so weird to see him react like that; as if it’s the first time he’s looking at Doyoung, like there’s something particularly spooky about him. 

Five, ten seconds later Jaehyun leans in, holding Doyoung’s face with both hands, bringing their lips together. It takes them a few more seconds to get into it, but when they do, it feels _right_. It’s like Doyoung gets all those flashes back, the future he saw during The First Touch. An argument. The movies. Airport. Puppy. House. This kiss feels like the start of something, so Doyoung pours everything into it.

Jaehyun laughs about a minute in, forcing them to part the kiss.

“What are you laughing about?” Doyoung asks, searching Jaehyun’s eyes. Happiness. There’s so much happiness in there.

“You. Telling me to kiss your lips,” Jaehyun replies, smiling so wide his eyes are nearly slits on his face.

“You weren’t doing anything!”

“I was trying to be romantic!”

“I think kisses on the lips are super romantic.”

“They are, but the wrist thing is supposed to be meaningful, you know? I was trying to let you know I’m happy you’re my soulmate and that I treasure you.”

Doyoung rolls his eyes. “You could have just said that.”

Jaehyun is about to retort, but then Seulgi crashes into them, hooking her arms around both of their necks. She’s not that tall, so Doyoung and Jaehyun are yanked down. “My little doves,” she says. “Come dance with me. I saw you kissing and I’m so happy for you, seriously, I want you to be the happiest baby birbs ever-”

“She’s drunk isn’t she?” Jaehyun asks over Seulgi’s head. Doyoung nods. He can take a whiff of alcohol coming from her, but that’s fine. It’s her wedding, Seulgi can get wasted if she wants.

“- four times! Ha! He’s a really good dancer, Doyoung, congrats, but now it’s your turn,” she lets out a tiny hiccup, releasing the grip around their necks and tugging on their hands instead. “Come on, I want to dance with you and I’m the bride everyone needs to do what I say.”

So Doyoung allows Seulgi to pull both him and Jaehyun in and sways to yet another pop beat in her company. Because she’s the bride and everyone needs to do what she says. He keeps meeting Jaehyun’s eyes while they dance, though, as if they’re both in a huge secret which they’re not supposed to mention in front of anyone. It urges him to pull Jaehyun by the hand and drag him away into a secluded place where no one will bother them.

Jaehyun smiles, wiggles his eyebrows before looking at Seulgi and twirling her by the hand. Okay, fine. This is Seulgi’s day. Doyoung and Jaehyun have many more days to come, and even though he’s eager to get started, Doyoung can be patient. He can wait.

Until this song is done. Then they’ll be giving everyone the Irish goodbye.

 

\--

 

_”I can’t believe you abandoned me in the party to hook up with Jaehyun!”_

“Is he pissed?” Jaehyun asks.

Doyoung nods, wincing at the sharpness of Jeno’s words. “We’ll come pick you up!”

 _”Don’t fucking bother, I came back with Taeyong and Mark. Now I’m inconveniencing them because of you! You’re lucky I’m nice, I won’t tell mom about any of this, you know she’d take my side and absolutely_ chew _you!”_

Doyoung winces again. “I’m so sorry, Jeno. Look, I’m leaving right now. I’ll pick you up.”

_”SO YOU HAVEN’T LEFT YET? Wow awesome really you know what I’m calling mom she w--”_

Feeling panic lodge itself in his stomach, Doyoung jumps out of bed. “NO! I’m coming, I’m on my way!”

_”--you this time you’re DEAD! They’re bringing you home and forcing you to work at the family shop! You’ll spend the rest of your life selling old stuff!”_

“I’M FUCKING COMING!” Doyoung yells into the phone and ends the call, dropping the device on the mattress. He sighs, running both hands through his hair.

“That bad, huh?” Jaehyun asks. 

“He hates being left behind. I once left him in a playground a couple of blocks away from our house because I wanted to play with my friends and he was bugging me. My mom grounded me for months, I could barely see the sunlight. Jeno never let me live that down.”

“Okay, that was a shitty move.”

“He was a clingy kid and I wanted to play with my friend’s robot!” Doyoung groans, rushing to pick up his clothes from the ground. “Now I have to go pick him up from Taeyong’s. Fuck! Do you remember his address?”

“Nope.”

“That’s okay, just text him real quick.”

“Taeyong or Jeno?”

“Taeyong! Quickly!” Doyoung fiddles with his belt buckle, trying to put on his socks and shirt simultaneously. He stares at Jaehyun still lying in bed. “What are you doing? Go get dressed!”

“Am I coming as well?” Jaehyun inquires.

“Of course you are, you drove us here!”

“Taeyong lives ten minutes away.” Jaehyun looks up from his phone. “You think we have time for another round? If we’re really fast?”

Doyoung halts. Thinks.

Jeno will be absolutely indignant, but Doyoung could just tell him they had problems with the car. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?

“Screw it,” Doyoung mutters, and removes the clothes he just put on.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> @ [twitter](https://twitter.com/maplemooncake)


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